Residents furious in Palma NO-GO area

Crime, drug taking and more.

A man sits on park bench in the area with what appears to be a pistol next to him.

A man sits on park bench in the area with what appears to be a pistol next to him

MDB DigitalJason Moore18/02/2025 12:27
TW
11

Just a few minutes' walk from the lively Plaza de España, in the heart of Palma's old town, lies a place that locals now prefer to avoid: Plaça Nova de la Ferrería. Once a meeting place for families with children, the more or less neglected square now offers a gloomy scene of used syringes, bottles of alcohol lying around and sometimes bloody fights. Local residents even report seeing armed people roaming the streets with knives or even guns.

Around 50 residents and tradespeople have therefore joined forces to fight against the decline of their neighbourhood. They are documenting the situation on Instagram under @bastayapferreria and calling on the city council to finally take action.

One of them is Cristina Roncal, owner of the organic bakery Panenostro, which opened in 2019. She reports increasingly frightening incidents: ‘The situation has been escalating since February. Junkies come into the shop and ask for aluminium foil. I didn't know what it was for - until someone explained to me that they use it for injecting.’

The list of problems is long: drug dealers go about their business undisturbed, prostitutes crowd in from the nearby Porta de Sant Antoni, people relieve themselves on the street in the middle of the day. Sergio, owner of the restaurant L'Informal Tacos, explains: ‘They come into our crowded restaurant, ask for cigarettes, money - or steal spoons to inject themselves with.’

According to the police, this place is now one of the most dangerous in Palma. The city council has so far not taken any action.

The residents' anger is growing. Because the city council is not responding to complaints, they have started an online petition. In it, they demand a daily, permanent police presence and the closure of drug sales points and ‘places of sexual exploitation’.

Another factor in the deterioration of the situation is the proximity to the Zaqueo soup kitchen, which is only a few metres away. ‘Some of its visitors simply throw their leftover food onto the square or leave rubbish lying around. This attracts rats, cockroaches and diseases,’ reads an open letter from local residents.

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